Best 45-50cc saw w/ 18-20inch bar capability

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weimedog

weimedog

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What do you think?
Husky 350? husky 346XP?
Echo CS-4400?
Stihl?

I am leaning towards a Solo right now.

Looking to have a saw to actually carry ...(My old monsters need a sled in the winter, or a truck in the summer to get where I go) this spring will be muddy so its shoe leather express.

Want to have the ability to pull a 20inch bar.

So what is the best "bang per buck" and best power/weight ratio in this class saw.

Can't be an old one as its got to work after a 30-45minute walk thru the muck. (My old ones have company in the back of the truck in the summer)
 
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I love my Stihl 026 I bought new in 1989, 49cc. Have cut 4-5 cords of hardwood ( oak and mesquite ) each year since. The only parts its needed have been air filters , sprockets, plugs, fuel filters, maintenance stuff. The saw always starts, even when I have left old fuel in her too long. This saw is so reliable it's boring, so I bought a new Makita , 54 cc, a few months ago. It's a DCS 540. It's not quite broken in yet to compare to the 026. It's exciting cause it does have a issue. The carb is sucking alot of fine dust past the air filter. Finally something to figure out instead of that boring 026. Oh, other than it's first bar of 18", it's on it's second 20" bar. If I bury the bar in oak or juniper I can bog this saw down, so I just use bigger saws on bigger wood. Don't see how anyone could go wrong on an 026 Stihl, and these are easy to find on ebay. Have Fun!
 
Yes ! I don't think it's all getting through the air filters, there is too much of it, though some is getting through the outer half. I thing it's getting through the airfilter to elbow junction, and some filters are worse than others . I am trying some Ace weather stripping to try and close it up. When I find a fix that works I will post some pictures. Have you found a fix?
 
I haven't even fired my Makita up yet...soon...maybe. It's already 10 yrs old and hasn't been run yet, lol. I believe that they have a pre-filter. It's like a flexible plastic membrane with small orifices. It's for filtering the big stuff. Mine is a DCS520i, the predecessor to the DCS540. Almost the same except the 540 is 2cc larger, less horsepower and has a choke. Most parts are interchangeable. I was concerned due to the filters likely being the same.
Maybe Dolmar_Tech_Mgr will chime in on this soon.
 
Want to have the ability to pull a 20 inch bar.
Click to expand...
If you are talking any kind of hardwood. I would say 20" bar might be a bit to much if you bury it... for all 3 of these saws, Husky 350 Husky 346XP Echo CS-4400. The 346 I ran had a mighty narrow powerband but did well on thinner stuff.
 
I bought a makita dcs540.... was set up poorly out of the box, but after some tune'n it ran great with plenty of power... I modded the muffler and trimmed the limiters and its a completely different animal... I have nothing but good things to say about it ... I think I paid 250 for it on ebay with free shipping, couldn't touch the stihl for that, even the echo was more $$... I don't have the other saws you mentioned, but I do have other models of stihl and echo and they are all fine saws. I cut mostly oak and locust and they are all fine for the task. If possible try out each saw and go with what feels best, I took a leap of faith on the 540 after reading good reviews here... glad I did, I'd buy another.

Good luck with your purchase.
 
I do not believe you can pull a 20 inch bar efficiently with the models you have posted except perhaps for the Makita 540 and of course the Stihl 026/260.

I still use a Stihl 026 and its got to be one of the best saws ever made in that class. You just can't go wrong with one.
 
Lobo said:
I do not believe you can pull a 20 inch bar efficiently with the models you have posted except perhaps for the Makita 540 and of course the Stihl 026/260.

I still use a Stihl 026 and its got to be one of the best saws ever made in that class. You just can't go wrong with one.
Click to expand...
I agree, but the Makita/Dolmar 540 is more than 50 cc's. If you are are willing to strech the cc limit a bit, I would suggest that you consider the Husky 353 or Jonsered 2152 at 51.7 cc's. They should perform better than the 346xp with the bars in question, due to a wider power band and more torque.
 
Without a doubt go for the Solo 651 and don't look back! I'm very happy with my Solo's. The 651 in my opinion is very well made and at the same time lightweight. If your used to the simple controls of an older saw like me you'll feel right at home with it. They have a real metal toggle kill switch and choke/throttle lock knob, no one lever does all kind of crap. You dont need any tools to get the airfilter cover off just one knob. Also has a fully adjustable carb and oiler. As for the rest of the saw it is top notch. I don't think you'll need to do any muffler mods with it. They seem to breathe much better than the other brands. Sounds good too and no spark screen to worry about. It'll handle a 20 inch bar with no problem running .325.
 
5100

How come no one has even spoken of the 5100??? Dealer support is pretty good in NY in general. 5100 is a GREAT little saw for what the dude is going to use it for. It'll pull a 20" better than the 260 and the other huskies... You best try one before you go and just get one of them others...

:popcorn:
 

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